Testing for COVID-19.Photo: PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty
A new subvariant of omicron isnow spreading in the U.S., but appears unlikely to cause significant problems, health experts say.
The subvariant, named BA.2, is a new mutation of the highly contagious omicron COVID-19 variant. It was first identified in early December and has reached about 57 countries, including the U.S., as of the last week.
Early details about BA.2 led to some concern — it seems to be more contagious than the original omicron variant, which hasalready spread rapidly through the country. But between the number of Americans who are vaccinated and boosted, along with themillions who contracted cases of omicronsince it first reached the U.S. at the end of November, it should keep BA.2 from causing a significant number of new infections.
“If you had omicron infection, you should have protection against subsequent infection from this new variant,” former FDA chief Scott Gottliebsaid on CBS’Face The NationSunday. “That’s why I don’t think this is going to create a huge wave of infection.”
“Right now, it represents probably about 5% of infections in the U.S., and we have so much omicron immunity that’s probably going to be a backstop against this really taking off,” he added.
The subvariant, which hit places like Denmark and the United Kingdom before the U.S., alsodoes not appear to cause more severe illness, based on data from those countries.
What may happen, though, Gottlieb said, is that BA.2 may just extend the wave of omicron cases. But that will still come to an end soon.
“What’s likely to happen is as we were coming down — and coming down quite sharply in parts of the Northeast, Florida, the mid-Atlantic — you might see as this new strain starts to pick up, you might see that we start to slow down in that decline, but the decline will happen nonetheless,” he said.
Hospitalizations, though, remain high, particularly in areas with lower vaccination rates. As of Jan. 30, 135,689 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. The number of deaths, too, are up, and an average of more than 2,500 people are dying a day from the virus.
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source: people.com
